title: [Psychosocial effects of plastic surgery reconstruction of the female breast following amputation for malignant/benign tumor].
abstract: A total of 98 woman (malignant/benign tumors of the breast, mastectomy with/without subsequent reconstructive surgery as well as healthy controls) were examined in terms of subjective well-being, psychosomatic reaction patterns, subjective impairment due to mastectomy and satisfaction with the outcome of reconstructive surgery in this empiric retrospective study. In addition, numerous sociographic data were obtained. On the average, the examined women were satisfied with the outcome of reconstructive surgery and tended to be disappointed with regard to the desired psychosocial improvement. Objective tests demonstrate that subjective well-being was less favorable after reconstructive breast surgery than in women without reconstruction. In the group "benign tumor with subsequent reconstruction" the reaction to emotional strain was significantly more characterized by regressive behavior and withdrawal than in the group "benign tumor without reconstruction". In the group "malignant tumor with reconstruction" this difference was less pronounced. On the basis of these results we cannot confirm the assumption that reconstructive surgery of the breast has a supportive function.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Medizinische Psychologie, Universität Wien.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Frischenschlager
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Balogh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Predovic
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001940:Breast / Q000601:surgery*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012803:Sick Role; D013518:Surgery, Plastic / Q000523:psychology*
vernacular_title: Psychosoziale Auswirkungen der plastisch-chirurgischen Rekonstruktion der weiblichen Brust nach der Amputation aufgrund eines malignen/benignen Tumors.